K9 who captured suspect in Central Texas trooper's death up for national hero award

KATY, Texas (KWTX) The police dog who captured the suspect accused of killing a local Trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety is nominated in a national dog-hero competition.

Odin, a K9 with the Waller County Sheriff’s Office, has been nominated for the 2018 American Humane Hero Dog Award.

The annual, nationwide contest searches for and honors ‘ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things,’ according to American Humane’s website.

“The Hero Dog Awards celebrate the powerful, age-old bond between dogs and people – and give recognition to courageous acts of heroism performed by our four-legged best friends,” the website reads.

The dogs compete in seven categories, and the ones with the top votes in each category are flown to Hollywood, California with their partner/owner to attend the American Humane Hero Dog Awards gala which will be broadcast on the Hallmark Channel in the Fall.

Each finalist receives $2,500 for their charity partner, and the ‘top dog’ will win an additional $5,000 for their charity partner.

Odin’s charity is K9s4Cops, the group which donated the dog to WCSO through a grant in April of 2017.

The four-year-old German Shepherd is one of 19 dogs in the “Law Enforcement/Arson Dogs” category.

According to a message from his handler, Deputy Andrew Blauser, Odin was put to the test on Thanksgiving night of 2017 when they got a call to help catch Trooper Damon Allen’s suspected murderer.

“I quickly got ready, kissed my family goodbye, loaded up Odin and rushed to the scene,” said Blauser. “Odin performed perfectly and bravely captured the murder suspect so that no other police officers would be hurt that day, myself included.”

Blauser said his son was born the next day, and Odin kept him alive for it.

“Odin made sure I survived to see my son born,” said Blauser. “K9 Odin is my Hero Dog and my best friend.”

The K9 team joined law enforcement across Texas to find Allen’s killer on Thanksgiving Day.

The trooper from Limestone County was sitting in his patrol unit when Dabrett Black, whom he pulled over for speeding on Interstate 45 south of Fairfield, opened fire with a rifle, according to an affidavit.

Authorities later tracked Black to Waller County, and Odin found him hiding in a hay-field and he was captured without further incident.

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